Some sources suggest the naming changed over time, especially in the United States, due to geopolitical reasons, but the concept stayed: small buttery cookies with nuts and sugar. These cookies have been part of holiday cookie trays for generations because they make a batch easily, travel well, and have comforting flavors.
Core Ingredients and Their Roles
Butter
Butter is essential for richness, flavor, and the melt‑in‑the‑mouth texture. Using softened, room temperature unsalted butter gives the best result. Too cold and it’s hard to mix; too melted and cookies spread too much.
Flour
All‑purpose flour is most commonly used. The flour structure gives the body of the cookie. Some recipes use a little more flour to make the dough more workable. If flour is too much, cookies become dry and lose that soft, crumbly texture.
Nuts
Finely chopped or ground nuts add both flavor and texture. Walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts are common choices. The kind of nut changes the flavor profile: walnuts give earthiness, pecans sweeter, hazelnuts more fragrant. Some recipes use finely ground nuts to almost almond‑meal texture.
Sugar / Powdered Sugar
There are two uses of sugar: first inside dough (granulated or sometimes powdered) for sweetness, second as the coating. After baking, while cookies are still warm but set, they are rolled in powdered sugar; after cooling, rolled again. This double coating gives the distinctive snowy look and sweet crust.